E49 Dark Bark is a cool brown Copic Marker which closely resembles Raw Umber watercolor. An organic brown, ideal for landscapes, fur, and food illustration. E49 is available in Copic Sketch, Ciao, and Classic marker styles.
Every Copic Marker has unique characteristics based on its unique ink formula.
Knowing how a color behaves will help you blend effectively and make art with confidence.
E49 Dark Bark
Let’s take a closer look at this Copic Marker and its ink characteristics.
Temperature: A cool brown
Resemblance: Raw Umber Watercolor
Actual Value: N9
All Copics are measured on a Neutral Gray value scale. The last number on the cap is supposed to indicate value but we’ve found discrepancies where the actual ink value is different than cap designation.
Cap Accuracy: The plastic on a Sketch marker matches 4-5 coats of E49 ink. It’s the correct color family, but misleading because you expect the ink to be as dark as the cap.
Buildup: E49 layers well but exercise caution at more than 2 coats of ink.
Shattering: Does not shatter.
Chromatography testing shows this ink’s behavior when it comes in contact with #0 Colorless Blender (solvent). High shattering colors may leak unexpected color when you make corrections or attempt to blend with any color that has a high solvent to colorant ratio. Shattering is not bad, it’s just something to be aware of.
Staining: Very staining.
Lift: This color does not lift much.
See staining swatch. Sample was given 6 stripes of #0 Colorless Blender, drying between each stripe. Results indicate how much lifting you can expect.
Lightfast: We observed very minimal fading during the test period, less than 10%.
Samples were swatched on X-Press It Blending Card. 1 layer of ink was exposed to windowsill sunlight for 21 days. Approximately 10 hours of sun per day based on weather conditions. Note: we do not recommend displaying original Copic art under these conditions.
Natural Ink Family: E49 is the dark end of the very large E-Forty family. We recommend that beginners purchase both warm and cool brown blending combinations. We highly recommend the E40s are highly recommended as your cool brown.
Family Members: E40, E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, E49
We include this information because many Copic users never think deeper than the letter groupings (R, BV, G, etc.). Every ink has its own temperature variations and underlying flavors. Understanding what an ink looks like in its different dilutions helps when creating your own blending combinations.
Complement: Brown is not a hue on the color wheel and does not have a complement.
Underpaint: BV29 neutralizes this color well.
This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Pushing Pencil: Prismacolor 935 Black pushes this color but exercise caution. Black is really the only color dark enough to push E49 but it’s not a great match.
VanillaArts.com (our sister site) teaches a Push & Pull technique for dimensional coloring. This is simply one suggestion. Many possible colors exist. Test to find a color that pleases you.
Vanilla Arts Classes using E49:
Doughnut Stack: Amy shows you why underpainting provides the basis for realistic coloring with accuracy. Find more info here.
Vanilla Arts Digi Stamps using E49:
We continue to create new digi stamps and we will update here as more become available.
Visit the stamp shop at our sister site VanillaArts.com for a wide variety of versatile digi stamps.
Color palettes and swatches using E49:
Looking for beautiful color palettes?
We absolutely love The Color Catalog 1 & 2 from Sarah Renae Clark. It puts hundreds of Copic friendly color palettes at your fingertips.
(note: affiliate link)
